February 11, 2009

Yee Sang for prosperity in the new year

Yee Sang is a dish that is only available during Chinese New Year. It is customary to have Yee Sang with business associates, work colleagues, clients, family and friends to usher the new year and wish each other prosperity (in Chinese, the term Yee Sang refers to prosperity). The dish usually comes with vegetables, pickles, crisps, etc. in a variety of colours arranged on a plate. Raw fish is added, then a sauce poured over the top, and everyone picks up their chopsticks and mixes the food together. It is customary to lift the food with our chopsticks as high as possible then letting it drop as we mix.

This is a photo taken during our family reunion dinner (a family dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year) in Kuala Lumpur, where about 18 people crowded around a table with 2 big plates of Yee Sang. 18 pairs of chop sticks clashed as we started mixing the Yee Sang, and we elbowed the person standing next to us while we mixed the ingredients! All in good fun :).

Yee Sang is sweet, and has a crunchy texture, and is usually eaten as an appetizer. It is an acquired taste, I think. Personally, I find it way way too sweet.